Team USA Rugby Star Ilona Maher Poses for 'SI Swimsuit' With Olympic Medal

More than half of the medals won by the U.S. at the Olympics in Paris were won by women, including breakout rugby star Ilona Maher. Now, in a new interview and swimsuit photo shoot, the Vermont native is opening up about her road to success and her relationship with her body. 

Maher stripped down to her skivvies to pose for the September cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, donning several different bikinis while posing on the beach. In some photos, her Olympic bronze medal is the star of the show as she proudly displays her bling that she and her teammates worked so hard to earn. 

These Olympics were plagued by accusations against two female boxers, with prominent media figures falsely questioning their gender identity. Maher similarly wasn't immune to similar criticisms about her body. Still, she never let it get to her, both in recent weeks and as a young person. 

"I was always like, you know, called masculine or whatever," she said. "But I never felt that way. But I don't think you're going to bully the girl who could probably beat you up in a rage. I love that [rugby] showed me what I can do. It showed me how capable my body is and it's not just like a tool to be looked at and objectified."

"I am considered overweight [by BMI]," she added. "But alas, I’m going to the Olympics, and you’re not."

Related: Olympic Rugby Player Ilona Maher Delivers Powerful Lesson on BMI and Health

Time will tell if she goes for glory again, this time at home in the U.S., when the Olympics come to Los Angeles in 2028.